Coppa Santamonica

Misano, 22 Aug 1976

All cars are 2-litre F2 unless noted.

Notes on the cars:

1. March 762 [U2] (Hans-Joachim Stuck): Built in March 1976 for the works F2 team, initially using parts from the works 752s. Then rebuilt on a new monocoque for Maurizio Flammini to drive at the start of the 1976 F2 season, winning at Thruxton and starting from pole position twice. Flammini then moved to 762/R1 and 762/U2 became a test car. Used by Stuck to win from pole position at Hockenheim in June, and to win again at Misano in August. It was then rebuilt on the prototype 772 monocoque for Rolf Stommelen to race at Nogaro in mid-September and Stuck at Hockenheim a week later. The car was then dismantled and many of its components were used in the construction of March 772/10.
2. Chevron B35 [35-76-02] (Roberto Marazzi): New to Trivellato Racing Team for Roberto Marazzi to race in the 1976 European F2 series. The car was retained by Trivellato for 1977 and when the team's new Ferrari-engined B40 was not ready in time, the old B35 was raced by Riccardo Patrese in the opening races of the season. Despite being identified as chassis '76-02, it was said to be the car driven by Marazzi's teammate Giorgio Francia in 1976, indicating that the team cars had been swapped around during 1976. Patrese took pole position in the car at the fourth round, at the Nürburgring on 1 May, but crashed in the race and the car was written off.
3. March 762 [12] (Giancarlo Martini): New to Giancarlo Minardi's Scuderia Everest with BMW engine for Giancarlo Martini to drive in Formula 2 in 1976. Subsequent history unknown.
4. Chevron B35 [35-76-01?] (Giorgio Francia): Used as a test car by Derek Bennett and others during February 1976, including Alex Ribeiro. Then sold to Trivellato Racing Team for Willi Lovato to race in four races at the start of the 1976 European F2 series. Believed to be the car taken over by Giorgio Francia for the rest of the season, although Francia was said to be driving the Trivellato team's spare car at Estoril after a "write off" at Enna. However, it does appear that there was some shuffling of cars, as '01 appears to be the car sold to Andy Barton for 1977, even though it was said to be the former car of Lovato's teammate Roberto Marazzi. Barton fitted a 2-litre BDA engine for Shellsport G8 and libre racing but struggled with the car's handling, and crashed at Croft in April. The car was rebuilt with a new tub and three new corners but was still problematic and he crashed again at Ingliston on 8 May. Barton then raced the Sana for the rest of 1977 but returned to the Chevron for a libre race at Croft in May 1978, only to crash yet again in practice. This time the car was not repaired.
5. March 762 [17] (Manfred Schurti): New to Swiss agent Markus Hotz, without engine or gearbox, dispatched on 15 July 1976. This must be the car entered by Lista Racing Team for Manfred Schurti to drive at Enna on 25 July when it was said to be "brand new" and "purchased from Markus Hotz". After racing it at Enna and Misano, Schurti had a collision with Cheever's Ralt in practice for Hockenheim at the end of September and Motoring News reported it was a "write off". Evidently repaired and sold to Hohmann Auto Technik for Marc Surer to drive in F2 in the first half of 1977. It then went to Walter Raus, who drove it a couple of Austrian national events, entered by Austria Puma Racing Team. Retained by Raus for 1978, when he drove it in the European F2 series, entered by OASC Racing Team. Subsequent history unknown.
6. March 742L [15] (Carlo Franchi ("Gimax")): Sold to Trivellato Racing Team and raced by Gabrielle Serblin in F2 in 1974. Retained by Trivellato as a spare car for 1975 and raced by Alberto Colombo, Francesco Cerulli-Irelli, Serblin and "Gimax" (Carlo Franchi). Raced by Gimax at a few Italian F2 races in 1976 and 1977 then to Richard Jones and Robin Smith for the Aurora AFX series in mid-1978, using the Cosworth BDG (or BDA) engine from the pair's Chevron B31 sports car that had been wrecked at Le Mans. Also raced by fellow sports car racer Tony Charnell at the end of 1978. The car is then unknown for two years, until an "Atlantic March" 742 with 772 bodywork was advertised by Ralph Halley, an Opel dealer in Milngavie, a suburb of Glasgow. It was bought from Halley by Jim McGaughey (Lochgilphead, Argyll and Bute, Scotland) and rebuilt as a Renault 5GT special saloon for 1981, using bodywork modelled on the new Renault 5 Turbo by Graham Kelly, a 1930cc Cosworth FVC acquired from Jimmy Jack, and a Hewland FT200 gearbox. It debuted in this form at Ingliston in April 1981, and won McGaughey the 1981 Scottish GT Championship. He then fitted an ex-F2 BMW M12 engine acquired from hillclimber Barrogill Angus, and raced it again in 1982 and 1983. When the special saloon's career ended, it was acquired by the Higgins Brothers of Lincolnshire, and was bought from them by Ian Jones in 1990, by which time it was in a very sorry state. Jones reskinned the monocoque using the original bulkheads, fabricated new suspension parts, and fitted late-1974 (long-nose) F2 bodywork. Jones sold it to Richard Evans in 2010, and by 2012 it was completed with a Gathercole BDG in Stebel livery and was raced in the Derek Bell Trophy races at the HSCC Superprix at Brands Hatch. Shared by Evans and Andrew Smith in Historic F2 from 2013 onwards.
7. Ralt RT1/76 [28] (Luciano Pavesi): New to Maurizio Braito (Varese, Italy), founder of Scuderia Ala d'Oro, and fitted with a Hart 420R for his protégé Luciano Pavesi to use in the European F2 series. Pavesi raced it from July onwards, appearing at Mugello, Enna-Pergusa, Misano, Nogaro and Hockenheim. He took pole position at Misano but did not finish inside the points once. He retained the Ralt for 1977, when it was again identified as chassis 28 by Autosprint, and raced it at Vallelunga, Mugello and Misano. Pavesi made one further appearance in the car at Misano in 1978, when it was reportedly fitted with a BMW engine, but he failed to qualify. It was thought possible that this was the car that Pavesi used in F3 in 1979, but Doug Grant, who worked for Ralt in Italy at this time, says that it was not converted. Subsequent history unknown.
8. March 732/742 (Vittorio Brambilla): The Brambilla brothers did a deal with Lancia for 1976 to provide Lancia-Ferrari V6 engines to Ron Dennis's Project 4 Formula 2 team. Engines were installed in March 752 and 762s for Project 4, but the engine was not a success, and Dennis pulled out. The Brambillas then installed the engine in a test car that appears to have been a 1973 or 1974 March chassis, possibly one of the 732s the brothers had raced in 1973. The car was described by Autosprint as a 732 and "apparently ex-Pesenti" [Alessandro Pesenti-Rossi], suggesting it was his 742, but that 742 was in long-nose specification in early 1976 and the Lancia test car was in an older specification, so the Pesento reference is thought to be incorrect. Vittorio Brambilla drove this test car at Enna-Pergusa in July 1976 but failed to qualify. He then raced it in the non-championship race at Misano four weeks later, finishing last in the first heat but improving to ninth in the second heat. The car's only other known appearance was when Guido Pardini raced it at Mugello in June 1977, retiring after only two laps. The identity of the car remains unresolved.
9. March 762 [R1-2] (Maurizio Flammini): Built in July 1975 as a test car for the Renault F2 engine, and tested at Goodwood. After three engine blow-ups, the relationship with Renault deteriorated and the car was rebuilt in November/December 1975 with a BMW engine. It was fitted with white 1976 bodywork to use as a show car, then sprayed orange in March 1976, and raced by Hans Stuck in the opening round of the 1976 season. Stuck won from pole. After Stuck raced it again at Salzburgring, it was then sprayed white and allocated to Maurizio Flammini from Pau onwards. Flammini wrecked it at Enna-Pergusa and it was rebuilt on a new monocoque. At the end of the season it was fitted with Stuck's orange bodywork and the chassis plate from 762//U2 and taken to Japan for the German to race at Suzuka in November. Sold in Japan. Subsequent history unknown.
10. March 762 [6] (Gaudenzio Mantova): New to Alessandro Pesenti-Rossi for Formula 2 in 1976, entered by Scuderia Gulf Rondini. Pesenti-Rossi was also racing in F3, and then acquired a F1 Tyrrell as well, so the 762 was taken over by Gaudenzio Mantova from June 1976 onwards. The car was then borrowed by the works for Maurizio Flammini to test at Vallelunga, and he wrote it off after just ten laps. The car was returned to the factory to be rebuilt and its surviving components were used to build his March 772/4 for 1977. The 772 carried the chassis plate from the 762, presumably for carnet reasons. The 762 therefore probably ceased to exist. When 'Pierpaolo' later bought a car with this chassis plate, it was probably 772/4.
11. Chevron B35 [35-76-08] (Gianfranco Trombetti): New to Trivellato Racing Team for Gianfranco Trombetti to race in the 1976 European F2 series. Retained by Trombetti for a few races at the start of 1977. Then raced by Lorenzo Niccolini at Mugello in June, when it was still red with Everest signwriting. Next seen in June 1979 when it was driven in practice by Filippo Niccolini at Mugello but did not start. Subsequent history unknown.
12. Lola T450 [HU4] (Roland Binder): New to Jörg Obermoser's Team Warsteiner Eurorace, fitted with a BMW engine and raced by Roland Binder in F2 in 1976. Returned for a couple of races in 1977. Subsequent history unknown.
13. March 762 [3] (Lorenzo Niccolini): New to Giancarlo Minardi's Scuderia Everest with BMW engine for Lorenzo Niccolini to drive in Formula 2 in 1976. Retained for 1977 when it is likely to have been the car that Alfonso Giordano failed to qualify at Vallelunga in May (although 762/12 is also a possibility). It was then driven in two races by Gianfranco Trombetti, when it was specifically identified by Autosprint as ex-Niccolini. Trombetti took over the car, and appeared with it at Mugello and Enna in 1978, when it was entered for him by RAM Racing. The car appeared again in 1979, now entered as a 782 and driven by Pasquale Barberio. It was acquired from Barberio as a complete car less engine by Flavio Tullio (Padova, Italy) in 2014.

Sources

Note that the identification of individual cars in these results is based on the material presented elsewhere in this site and may in some cases contradict the organisers' published results.

All comments, clarifications, corrections and additions are most welcome. Please email Allen (allen@oldracingcars.com) if you can help in any way with our research.